The Society of the Blind is the mediator between members, people with disabilities and local government, state and other NGOs. Cooperation with skilled worker has so far helped achieving significant changes in Latvia, but lack of financial support makes it difficult to provide long-term support. This project will help ensure continuity of the society’s work.
The project aims to improve the capacity of society to promote further effective action to strengthen civil society in addressing employment issues of disabled people. Furthermore it aims to address social entrepreneurship development, environment, services and information access issues and continued financial support for the administrative operation of the NGOs created for disabled people. By promoting universal design principles and the "UNO Convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities" targeted implementation and enforcement at the local and national level will benefit NGO members and people with disabilities.

Project results: Implemented operational programs and summary of the results in English (original):
Liepaja Society of the Blind began the project in July of 2013 and the implementation takes place for almost three years –– until 31 December 2015.
This project has provided significant contribution to the achievement of the established goals.
Thanks to the Quality management system workshops for the society staff and volunteers organized within the project (in 2013, 2014 and 2015), we have been able to improve the operational capacity of Liepaja Society of the Blind, set targets for future and establish a strategy for further effective actions for the benefit of disabled people. During nearly three years of regular meetings with entrepreneurs and state and local government representatives we have addressed the key issues for disabled people. In this reporting period there have had 155 meetings in total. In total 47 various proposals and suggestions, have been submitted to state and local government institutions. Due to the activity concerning universal design included in the project, during these years we have visited 12 local governments, where we have presented the basic principles of universal design, as well as real life situations to builders and other interested parties. Thanks to the recognition of Liepaja Society of the Blind we have provided consultations (107 in total) concerning provision of universal design and environmental access on various sites to builders, architects and other interested parties not only in Latvia, but also in foreign countries. Consultations were provided in person, as well as electronically or by phone. We have both been invited and have expressed our own interest to survey newly built facilities, renovated buildings and existing facilities (58 in total) in accordance with the principles of universal design. By doing this we have achieved that the principles of universal design have been promoted publicly and explained how and why local governments should establish a disability-friendly environment. Positive examples of universal design have been explained.
One of the biggest benefits during the project has been the foreign exchange trips for both the members of LSB and volunteers. Lithuania, Germany and Estonia are the countries where we were introduced to services provided by our colleagues, employment, social enterprises, funding arrangements and other issues. On our part we were able to share the basic principles of universal design implementation with our foreign colleagues, as well as evaluate the accessibility of the existing urban environment in accordance with the established universal design survey.
Significant were also the informative and educational events for schools “Get to know my world” (90 in total), during these not only the educational institutions from Liepaja, but also from other cities of Latvia visited Liepaja Society of the Blind to explore the lives of disabled people and their possibilities to take care of themselves and people around them.
At the start of the project we also began a new fellowship cycle of societies –– networking meetings of NGOs of the disabled (9 in total); meetings are organized for all organizations of the disabled located in Liepaja city and district once every three months, where they come together and discuss topical issues of common concern for the benefit of disabled people.
In order to continue sustainable development of the organization at regional and national level Liepaja Society of the Blind is an active member of the National Council of Disability Affairs of the Ministry of Welfare and the Board of the Latvian Society of the Blind; the Society successfully cooperates with Latvian Association of the Deaf, the largest Latvian organizations of disabled people “Apeirons” and “Sustento”, regional governments of Kurzeme, state institutions and entrepreneurs on key issues of disabled people. By the time the project was implemented at the end of 2015, the number of members of Liepaja Society of the Blind had risen from 531 (August 2013) to 655 (31 December 2015), however, the number of volunteers varies and by 31 December 2015, there is a total of 26 concluded volunteering agreements. In 2014 and 2015 Liepaja Society of the Blind has also managed to attract 24 subsidized jobs for disabled people. All this work will continue after the project is concluded, thereby contributing to organization's professional development..